FLORENCE AREA: GATEWAY TO PARADISE
For millions of tourists around the world, Florence is their one-stop destination in Italy, but the area around Florence is no less worth a visit, because it allows you to take in the sights and sounds of the stunning Tuscan countryside. So when you are next in Florence, and have had your fill of one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, take a trip around the Florence area, to such gorgeous destinations as Pisa, Arezzo, Lucca, San Gimignano, Lucignano, Fiesole, and Siena, connected to Florence by bus service. Or you can hire a motorbike or bicycle and set off on a personal exploration.
In fact, some of the hotels in the Florence area, as we have listed, provide their guests with complimentary bicycles. Or you could hire motorbikes and bicycles from several points in the city, such as at railway stations. Whatever you do, a journey of exploration in the Florence area is sure to be a rewarding experience. For starters, you could go to the Piazzale Michelangelo, on the side of the Arno and in front of the national library. This is particularly recommended at nighttimes, because you can then see the glittering lights of Florence.
Outside of Florence proper, the terrain is usually hilly or even mountainous, and the best destinations are to be found in the Chianti area, a region of truly stupendous natural beauty, which offers the added incentive of perfect weather and lots of sunshine in season. Setting out for Fiesole, which lies in the northern part of the valley in which Florence is located, you can see several Renaissance villas where famous people lived. Fiesole boasts the ruins of an Etruscan temple, a theatre, and Roman thermal baths. Also in the northern region are towns such as Sesto Fiorentino, once again of Etruscan origin, Campi Bisenzio, in the middle of a valley, which has remains of ancient medieval fortifications. On the way back to Florence, stop at the Medicean villas in Castello and Pietraia, and the Villa Corsini.
In the southern part of the valley are Bagno a Ripoli, Antella, built around the parish church of Santa Maria, Monteriolo, and Impruneta, famous for its fair. From Impruneta you go to Tavarnuzze and on the way to Galluzzo, visit the magnificent Certosa di Val d’Ema.
Then there is the Valdisieve, the closest mountain range to Florence, dazzling in its greenery and purity. Within the range are parts of the Parco Nazionale delle Foreste Casentinesi, the Riserva Biogenetica of Vallombrosa and the Foresta di Sant’Antonio with beeches and chestnut trees.
There are numerous other attractions that we have been unable to name owing to lack of space, but you must have got the idea. So check out our list of accommodations in the Florence area and plan your trip right away!
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HOTELS IN TUSCANY: YOUR GUIDE TO A PERFECT HOLIDAY
Most tourists who visit Tuscany once can’t help coming back for a return visit. Well, the hotels that you stay in while you holiday in Tuscany should have the same quality – once you stay in them, you can’t stay anywhere else. And we can promise you a choice of Tuscany hotels that will leave you yearning to return to this beautiful region of Italy, with its dazzling landscapes, wonderful cuisine, warm locals and celebrated wines.
The hotels on our list rank among the best in Tuscany, and offer you the best value for money in terms of modern comforts, luxury, and elegance. They are located in some of the most picturesque areas of Tuscany, and offer you access to some of its most famous cities, such as Florence, Pisa, and Siena.
The Hotel Residence Toscana Verde, for example, stands in the heart of old Etruria. Originally an old tobacco-working factory where Tuscan cigars were made, the hotel today stands inside a protected nature reserve, that of Ponte a Buriano Penna. All the bedrooms contain air-conditioning units, mini bars, satellite TV, telephones, and safe deposit boxes. The excellent restaurant offers many traditional Tuscan dishes. The complex also features 20 apartments, with kitchens. These can be rented according to the resort formula.
Then there’s the I Cedri, a new three-star hotel that is just a stone’s throw from Florence, a perfect blend of culture and business, ideal for the manager and the businessman who wants to combine business with pleasure, and also for the tourist who can admire both the city and the beautiful hills that surround it. The hotel has 15 double bedrooms, all trendily furnished and equipped with air-conditioning, mini bars, safes, TV sets and telephones. It also has a private car park and a breakfast room where a delicious buffet breakfast is served every morning.
But these are just two examples that give you a taste of the kind of Tuscan hotel accommodation that we can offer. Our hotels have been chosen to suit every budget, and will make you so comfortable that you will feel as though you are at home. We offer direct links to the Tuscany hotel of your choice, and you will never want to stay anywhere else in Tuscany once you have stayed at one of ours. So come and check us out because Tuscany awaits you!
